Military officers from multiple countries spend a little time in Abilene this week receiving a crash course in rural American culture via the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, and the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad.

According to the Railroad, eighty-seven military officers from 79 countries  rode a special catered charter on the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad following the Eisenhower visit.

As students in Fort Leavenworth’s Command and General Staff Officer Course (CGSOC), the students spent the day in Abilene, where they toured the Dwight D. Eisenhower Museum and Presidential Library before boarding the train, where they received a quick history lesson relating how railroads built the American economy.

The CGSOC is a 10-month graduate level program at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, whose student core consists of mid-tier officers whose countries have paid for them to receive grounding at Fort Leavenworth.

”These students are smart, globally connected, and experienced tactically and operationally,” said David Borann, the Field Studies Program Chair. “Many of them have already attended U.S. schools or have served in organizations where their countries were already partnering with the U.S., such as NATO or the United Nations.

Bornann explained that the CGSOC is part of a program established by the U.S. State Department to offer instruction about American values relating to the U.S. political system, society, institutions and American life. The program includes a field studies program, where students visit various sites in the region to learn about free market systems from current and historical perspectives.

“When we bring our students here to Abilene, we’re trying to inculcate American values, so they better understand how America developed and why we act and think as we do.”

The basic objective of CGSOC training is that these officers will someday better understand the United States as they pursue leadership positions in their respective countries.

“We know from experience that as many as 57 percent will likely become generals, 27 percent will become chiefs of defense, and three percent may advance to their nation’s highest offices. Someday they will be able to speak smartly about America through experiences they encounter through this program,” Bornn said.